With no men’s international football to watch this summer, all eyes and ears are firmly on the 2026 World Cup – hosted by three North American countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada – and the first ticketing packages were released on Tuesday, leaving many supporters in disbelief at the prices.
There’s just over a year until the likes of Thomas Tuchel’s England and Didier Deschamps’ France will be battling it out to be crowned the world champions of football and fans from all over the globe will be looking to get their hands on some tickets.
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The initial ticket release – starting at $3,500 (£2,625) per person and climbing to an eye-popping $73,200 (£54,750) – involved the option to have several games packaged together, and it’s not unfair to say that the lofty prices have irritated fans.
Ticket Prices for 2026 World Cup Released
Non-hospitality tickets to be released later in 2025
Non-hospitality tickets are expected to be released later this year (2025) – and, as things stand, the prices of said tickets are yet to be revealed. However, as reported by Adam Crafton of The Athletic, the three-way bid insisted that the average cost of a group stage ticket would be around the $305 mark.
But, of course, those prices are based on the bid document forecasting a revenue of $1.8 billion via ticket sales and, as a result, they could change drastically between now and when the non-hospitality tickets are opened up in due course.
Tuesday’s ticketing news was, as mentioned, targeted towards the hospitality sector and included merely games based in the United States. Named The U.S. Venue Series, FIFA offered three different types of packages:
A Los Angeles-based package where matchgoers will be able to attend the USMNT’s first and final games of the group stage, while the SoFi Stadium will also host two Round of 32 games and a quarter-final. As reported, tickets range between $20,300 and go up to $35,350.
There is a full eight-game package (which covers every match in New York, including the Round of 32, Round of 16 and the final) – prices for that begin at $25,800, while fans are able to splash a figure in the region of $73,200 on the most luxurious option.
If fans are looking to pay a tad less, a full-slate package for matches in Santa Clara in the Bay Arena could cost $8,275 – that will include all six matches to be played at the Levi’s Stadium, including one Round of 32 match.
Fans in Disbelief Over Lofty Ticket Prices
The draw for the 2026 World Cup – the 23rd iteration of its kind – is set to take place in December, but fans are already dumbfounded by the aforementioned prices of tickets. “There will be a lot of empty seats,” one supporter said in response.
Disgraced at the prices, another insisted that the 2026 World Cup is proving to be everything that football ‘should be against’, which is pricing fans out of watching their team/nation in action in one of the biggest competitions in sport.
“A disgrace, everything football should be against. Pricing fans out of massive events.”
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“Fans won’t get visas, plus too expensive to travel, and tickets cost a fortune. The stadiums are just going to be filled with influencers and sponsor competition winners,” one said as a fourth fan was straight to the point. They said: “This World Cup is gonna suck.”
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